Two known types of stalk-like crops in the North American market are sugarcane and sorghum. Other stalk-like or cane-like crops have been receiving, increasing attention in bioenergy circles, such as miscanthus, energy cane, and giant reed. During the harvesting of sugarcane, it is known to top the sugarcane plant by cutting off the top portion of the plant using a separate cutter head and allowing the top of the plant to simply fall to the ground.
Sorghum is a major cereal grain that is one of the oldest known crops and is used as a staple food in many parts of Africa and Asia. Sorghum is a major feed grain crop in the US, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, and South Africa. It is believed that sorghum was introduced into the United States in the 1700's and some believe that Benjamin Franklin introduced the first grain sorghum crop. The seed of grain sorghum is the smallest of the major spring-planted field crops, such as corn and soybeans.
Both sugarcane and sorghum are members of the grass family. Sugarcane is native to warm, temperate to tropical regions, the cane having stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar and measure six to nineteen feet tall. Sugarcane is able to convert up to two percent of the incident solar energy into biomass. Once sugarcane is planted, a stand can be harvested several times. After each harvest, the cane sends up new stalks called rattons. Each successive harvest produces a decreasing yield, eventually leading to a replanting operation.
The harvesting of sugarcane includes the cutting of the cane at the base of the stalk, stripping of the leaves, chopping the cane into consistent lengths, and depositing the cane into a transporting device. The harvester typically blows the leaves and such back onto the ground.
Sugarcane harvesting machines utilize a basecutter device that is attached to the frame of the machine. Prior art basecutters do not provide a positive kicking action to the stalk after it is initially cut. The stalk may be cut multiple times before the forward motion of the harvesting machine forces the stalk onto the top surface of the cutting disk and it is routed for further processing. The multiple cuts on the stalk result in the loss of crop material that is left in the field and it also causes splitting damage to the harvested stalk as it is being hit multiple times by the cutting blades. Additionally, prior art designs have a rather large opening between the basecutter plates into which the cut stalks often fall and are split longitudinally, leaving part of the stalk in the field and a much damaged portion sent into the harvesting machine.
What is needed is a basecutter that kicks the cut end of the stalk onto the top of the plate after it has been cut the initial time and to reduce the gap between the plates so as to limit damage to the cut stalks.